1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antihyperlipidemic and antiobesity agent which can be used in foods, drugs or animal feed.
2. Description of Prior Art
The known drugs that may be used to reduce the quantity of lipids in blood serum are: nicotinic acid and its derivatives, cholesterol synthesis inhibitors, Probucol and so forth. Also, water-soluble dietary fibers such as vegetable gums, including pectin, are food constituents that are known to have the effect of improving lipid metabolism. However, adverse side effects such as hot flashes, itchiness, and muscular impairment have been reported when the above mentioned antihyperlipidemics are used, and they have not yet been proved to be safe. Moreover, for an adult to obtain an appreciable lipid lowering effect or a significant improvement in lipid metabolism, the water-soluble dietary fibers mentioned above, such as vegetable gums, including pectin, must be taken in quantities of 10 grams to several tens of grams per day. It is extremely difficult to take a solution of vegetable gum such as pectin in such great quantities, .however, because of its high viscosity. In practice, therefore, it is almost impossible to take dietary fibers in aqueous solution in sufficient quantities on a daily basis.
It should be noted that the viscosity of water-soluble dietary fibers can be reduced by partial hydrolysis. As an example of reducing viscosity through partial hydrolysis in this manner, material and results of animal experiments with guar gum have been reported (F. Takeo et al., `Effect Of Partially Decomposed Guar Gum on High-Cholesterol-fed Rats and Non-dietary Fiber-fed Rats`, Journal of Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Journal, Vol. 43 #6 pp 421-425, 1990). According to this report, the hydrolysate that results from partial hydrolysis of guar gum has a lower viscosity than guar gum itself, but still it is quite viscous. Also, in order to obtain significant improvement in lipid metabolism, the guar gum hydrolysate must constitute 5% (dry-weight) of the total volume of food consumed. Therefore, in practice, it is nearly impossible to achieve a significant improvement in lipid metabolism by consuming water-soluble dietary fibers, even if they are partially hydrolyzed.
Imbibitional dietary fibers such as mannan and non-digesting sweeteners such as glycyrrhetinic acid, stevioside and aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methylester) are low-calorie food materials that are used for preventing obesity. These non-digesting sweeteners are used as a replacement for sucrose. The quantity of carbohydrates absorbed in the body is reduced as a result, and such non-digesting sweeteners are, therefore, thought to have the effect of reducing the quantity of lipids in the blood serum as well as the effect of metabolizing lipids that have accumulated in the body. However, because of the significant deleterious effect that such non-digesting sweeteners have on the flavor and texture of food, these sweeteners cannot be used in great quantities. In any case, it is difficult to avoid the large quantities of natural sugars such as sucrose and fructose that are present in fruit and many other foods. Thus, the strategy of trying to replace sugar in the diet with non-digesting sweeteners is, on the whole, a very limited one for reducing the intake of sugars.
This invention is an antihyperlipidemic and antiobesity agent which can suppress increases in lipids in the blood serum and increases in body fat even when high-calorie foods such as carbohydrates are eaten. At the same time, it is easy to take in effective quantities and there are no adverse side effects or toxicity.